The Arctic Circle — the realm of polar bears and dwindling sea ice at the top of the world — hit 32 degrees Celsius in July.

This was the temperature in Banak, Norway on July 30, though some Norwegian areas even reached a couple degrees warmer, according to the European meteorology site severe-weather.eu. Banak sits atop northern Europe, over 560 kilometers above the bottom edge of the Arctic Circle.

The greater Northern Hemisphere and Europe have been repeatedly scorched by both record and near-record temperatures this summer, a consequence of overall rising global temperatures.

In the past 40 years, Earth’s climate has experienced an accelerated warming trend, which adds an extra level of background warming to hot spells — making heatwaves more extreme, climate scientists said.

The heat at the top of the world really drives that home.

The “warm season” in Banak is short, lasting around three months, but the very warmest day of the year, around July 23, is usually around 62 degrees Fahrenheit (16.67 degrees Celsius) — much cooler than temperatures there now. Overall, temperatures in northern Europe are between 8 to 13 degrees Celsius above average.

All-time temperature records were set in both Norway and Finland on July 30, including 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) in Verde near Banak, as extreme or near-record temperatures blanketed the region.

Persistent heat and dryness this summer have transformed normally verdant European countries into brown and yellow lands, and the continent’s extreme heat is expected to persist.

Meanwhile, across the planet, extreme heat has enhanced wildfire activity in the western part of the United States, even stoking a rare and imposing fire tornado.

Andrew Derocher, a professor at the University of Alberta who studies polar bears, said climate change is shrinking the ice bears usually hunt on, making them spend more time on land closer to humans.